Using WordPress multisite allows you to run more than one website and still only use one WordPress installation. This can make your life a lot easier if you want to create a network of websites without having to monitor and manage them all individually.
To customize your WordPress multisite network, you can install a variety of different plugins to enhance the functionality of the CMS. We’re going to run through some of the best plugins for WordPress Multisite.
1. Multisite Enhancements
The Multisite Enhancements plugin gives network administrators an easier way to manage WordPress Multisite installations more effectively. Beyond showing which site has specific plugins active, it optimizes your super admin dashboard with information available at a glance.
This practical plugin creates direct links for your plugin’s menu and helps you track active plugins and themes across all network sites. You can add custom favicons for each website via the My Websites menu, making site identification quick and intuitive.
Network admins will appreciate the additional features like Blog and User ID displays in network view, SSL identifiers for each site, and status indicators that quickly show if a site has a ‘noindex’ status. The plugin also adds an ‘Add New’ link under the Plugins menu specifically for Network admins.
Developers will find useful functions including alternatives to the deprecated get_blog_list() method, with built-in caching via the Transient API. The theme list filter makes finding specific themes fast and simple.
The footer menu displays helpful technical information including RAM usage, PHP details, and SQL version.
2. Individual multisite author
Individual Multisite Author allows users to create multiple authors for their websites and then automatically replicate a profile across multiple domains, making your job easier.
This is a common frustration many WordPress multisite administrators face. Without it, author biographies remain identical across all your network sites, which becomes particularly problematic for multilingual websites or when managing multiple distinct brands under one network.
This means you can present completely different professional personas across your various domains. For multilingual sites, you can write native-language biographies for each language version rather than relying on translations of a single bio. For topical networks where you might have expertise in various subjects, you can highlight the relevant credentials for each specific site.
Setting up different author biographies couldn’t be simpler. Just navigate to the dashboard of each individual site in your network and enter the appropriate author bio information there. The plugin handles everything else behind the scenes, with no complex configuration required.
It’s worth noting that the plugin only works with WordPress multisite installations, so single-site WordPress users won’t benefit from it.
3. User role editor
Want to create a custom role for your WordPress user? With the help of the User Role Editor plugin, you can easily create custom roles, so for example when a user logs in to your WordPress multisite platform, they are marked as a subscriber by default.
With the help of a user role editor, you can create a custom role for others and assign tasks to them. The user role editor also allows you to create custom roles for a single website on your multisite blog. This is really useful if you receive posts from multiple authors.
Managing user permissions across multiple sites can quickly become complex. User Role Editor makes this process simpler with a checkbox interface for capabilities. You simply select the permissions you want to include in a role and click “Update” to save your changes.
For multisite administrators, this means you can create standard roles across your network or customize specific roles for individual sites based on their unique needs. This flexibility helps when different sites in your network serve different purposes or audiences.
The plugin gives you two approaches to creating new roles. You can build a role from scratch by selecting exactly which capabilities it should have, or you can copy an existing role and modify it. The second option saves time when you need a role similar to an existing one with minor adjustments.
You can also remove custom roles when they’re no longer needed, provided no users are currently assigned to them. This helps keep your user management system organized across your multisite installation.
Beyond role-based permissions, User Role Editor allows you to assign capabilities on a per-user basis. This means you can give specific users additional permissions without creating entirely new roles. You can also assign multiple roles to a single user simultaneously, combining permission sets for users who need different types of access.
If you’re running a multisite network with different types of users and varied content across sites, User Role Editor allows you to create a consistent permission structure. You can maintain uniform roles where needed while allowing for site-specific customizations where appropriate.
4. Multisite content copier
Duplicating posts from one website is easy with Multisite Content Copier, which allows you to copy pages, posts, users and plugins with one click.
This tool addresses a common need for WordPress multisite network administrators who manage multiple related sites. When you need to share similar content across several sites in your network without manually recreating it, this plugin provides a straightforward solution.
The free version gives you practical capabilities for basic content duplication. You can copy or update posts and pages from one site to others within your multisite installation. The plugin doesn’t just copy the content itself but also handles related elements like categories and tags to maintain proper organization across sites.
What makes this particularly useful is how it manages content relationships. When you copy content, the plugin automatically handles parent-child relationships for posts and pages. It also copies associated media files like images and documents, saving you from having to upload these assets separately on each site.
For administrators who need to update multiple sites at once, the bulk copy/update feature is a time-saver. You can select multiple posts or pages and distribute them to several sites simultaneously. This works for published content as well as private and scheduled (“future”) posts.
The Pro version extends these capabilities to other content types. You can copy custom post types, which is valuable if you use specialized content formats across your network. It also allows you to copy users between sites, maintaining consistent author attribution.
Custom fields support in the Pro version is particularly valuable for sites using Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) or similar tools. This ensures that specialized content structures and metadata remain intact during the copying process.
The plugin comes from a developer who specializes in WordPress multisite solutions, with several complementary tools available for various content synchronization needs across multisite networks.
5. WooCommerce API Product Sync with Multiple WooCommerce stores
With WooCommerce API Product Sync with Multiple WooCommerce Stores, you can automatically synchronize products from one WooCommerce store with the others.
The plugin helps you to synchronize all product data, including general settings, inventory, shipping, linked products, attributes, variations and advanced options. You can also synchronize bulk products across multiple webshops, making it an ideal solution for those who manage many WooCommerce stores at the same time.
It has key features like:
- Automatic synchronization of product data (general, inventory, shipping, linked products, attributes, variations and extended).
- Stock synchronization option: Automatic synchronization of stock (inventory) in the target webshop when orders are placed in the source webshop.
- Synchronization when deleting a product option: Automatic deletion of a product in the target webshops when the product is deleted in the source webshop
Quick start guide
Let’s look at how to synchronize your products en masse with this plugin. Once you have made all the necessary settings, simply follow the steps below to start synchronization.
- Go to Product Sync > Bulk Sync in your admin dashboard.
- A new screen will appear where you can search for individual products or filter products by category. Click the Filter button to display a list of products.
- Select your desired product and the target websites that they should be synchronized with.
- Click on the “Synchronize” button.
And that’s all there is to it. The plugin starts at $30 with 6 months of support, but you have to pay a little more to get support from the team in an annual subscription.
Conclusion
It’s not easy to manage a network of websites, and it takes time to properly maintain everything across the entire network. However, if you know the best plugins and tools available, the process becomes easier.
All the multisite WordPress plugins mentioned in this article will help you manage all the details and requirements of multiple websites, so hopefully you can find one to help you.
